LOOKING up at the clear, blue sky devoid of the vapour trails of aeroplanes, I realised what has happened in the past five days is unprecedented in my lifetime.

Flights were grounded for around 24 hours after the 9/11 attacks, but nothing has grounded all the planes over the whole of the UK and much of Europe for so long.

An Icelandic volcano has succeeded where terrorists and air traffic control strikes have failed.

As I write this column, there is a no-fly zone over Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, with partial airspace closures over Italy, Norway and Spain.

Surely, the last time there were no aeroplanes over all those countries at the same time must have been in the 1920s. I am sure aviation experts will write in with a definitve date.

Economists are saying that while airlines and other businesses lose out, there is obviously a bonus for ferry and rail firms, and that the economy should escape any lasting damage.

And a spokesman for the British Retail Consortium said there could be shortages of more exotic fresh foods but added: "The vast majority of fresh food sold in the UK is sourced in the UK, and a very small proportion is air-freighted in.

"Our members are monitoring the situation but so far it has not had a material impact."

The volcano also gives us something else to think about other than the interminable General Election campaign which is about as exciting as peeling back the plastic on a microwave cauliflower cheese.

So while the volcano erupts, the ash cloud lingers, there are meetings about it in Downing Street, and the word crisis appears in more and more headlines, we have beautiful clear skies, our carbon pollution is reduced a little and life goes on.

Those who are stranded overseas or those who are worried about holiday bookings are, I am sure, not feeling as well-disposed as me to the Eyjafjallajokull volano.

Notice how few broadcasters have attempted that one - merely calling it the 'Icelandic volcano'.

Here's how to impress your friends. The phonetic pronunciation is: eye-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl.

There is a hilarious Good Morning America interview with an Icelandic interpreter ("Hey, isn't that just like speaking Viking?" says the co-anchor.) - watch it to perfect your accent by logging onto: http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/how-to-pronounce-eyjafjallajokull-19179699 AND finally...

Barbie has been given a holy makeover this week- as a woman priest.

The Reverend Julie Blake Fisher from Kent, Ohio, dressed the iconic doll in a variety of holy outfits as a teaching aid.

Given the lack of election interest, I fear it is only a matter of time before we see the Sarah Brown, Sam Cam and Er, Who? versions on sale at a store near you....You have been warned.